Some wells may need to be drilled using a complex trajectory to reach multiple target areas or to perform other operations. Therefore, operators must be able to precisely “steer” the drilling direction. To do this, operators can remotely operate a directional drilling device near the drill bit to control the drilling direction. Various types of directional drilling devices are known in the art. One such device uses a variable stabilizer, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,821,817, to control the drilling trajectory. The variable stabilizer has stabilizer blades that center the drill string within the borehole. Drilling mud pumped downhole is used to control the variable stabilizer by retracting the blades. When selected blades are retracted, the device permits the drilling angle of the drill bit to be changed.
Another directional drilling device is commonly referred to as a bent housing mud motor. This device uses a mud motor disposed on a housing that has an axis displaced from the axis of the drill string. In use, circulated drilling fluid hydraulically operates the mud motor, which has a shaft connected to a rotary drill bit. By rotating the drill bit with the motor and simultaneously rotating the motor and bit with the drill string, the device produces an advancing borehole trajectory that is parallel to the axis of the drill string. However, by rotating the drill bit with the motor but not rotating the drill string, the device can produce a borehole trajectory deviated from the axis of the non-rotating drill string. By alternating these two methodologies, operators can control the path of the borehole.
Another directional drilling device is a rotary steerable system that can change the orientation of the drill bit to alter the drilling trajectory but does not require rotation of the drill string to be stopped. One type of rotary steerable system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,116,354, which is incorporated herein by reference. Although effective, rotary steerable systems during certain operations can suffer from vibrations and oscillations that can be extremely damaging and hard to control. These uncontrolled vibrations can especially occur when the rotary steerable system is run below a high torque mud motor with a reasonably high speed (i.e., a total bit RPM of about 110). Generally the higher the RPM, the higher the likelihood of CCW whirl.
In particular, a bottom hole assembly having a rotary steerable system essentially acts as a series of rotating cylindrical spring mass systems with variable support points (typically stabilizers or extended blades). The natural frequencies of these spring mass systems can create a variety of damaging vibrations during operation. Ideally, the bottom hole assembly experiences concentric rotation so that drill bit has sliding contact with the borehole wall. Although the assembly may initially be in sliding contact, the assembly eventually tries to ride up the wall in a horizontal borehole, but gravity and bending strain tend to throw the assembly back downslope.
The riding and dropping of the assembly in the borehole can intensify and becomes more violent with increasing impact loads propelling the assembly back and forth across the borehole. Eventually, the multiple impacts can develop into counterclockwise (CCW) bit whirl in which the drill bit is in continuous rolling contact with the borehole wall. At this stage, the frequency of the whirl action jumps dramatically, and the bottom hole assembly oscillates in a counterclockwise direction opposite to the rotation of the drill string. In general, the resulting motion can be defined by a Hypocycloid sub form of general Hypotrochoids. (This is true for a point on the outer surface of the BHA because the center describes a circle of diameter equal to the borehole clearance). The whirl action from the drill bit can travel up the drill string and can affect multiple points on the assembly.
As expected, counterclockwise bit whirl can unevenly wear the drill bit's cutters and can create fatigue in the various components of the bottom hole assembly and drill string. For this reason, operators need a way to reduce or minimize the development of counterclockwise bit whirl in a bottom hole assembly having a rotary steerable system or any other rotary drilling assembly.